I was drawn in by the synopsis and the promise of a sharply funny, feminist tinderbox.” Unfortunately, the execution isn’t working for me - the tone and the way it’s centered on a man isn’t what I expected and after reading some other reviews I decided to DNF. Thank you to the publisher for the gifted book to review.

In this case —to borrow a line in this book— three stars, sure, if you like this kind of thing.

But I did think it would be more of my kind of thing. Reviewers working at the Fringe Festival? Sounds interesting. Messy interpersonal drama? Gimme the goss. A story that attempts to parse out how reviews, online dogpiling, and other professional hazards can affect a person? Especially when it comes to gender? Well... the result is a bit hit or miss.

The premise is this — newspaper critic Alex sees Hayley in a one-woman show that he dislikes. He files his 1-star review with the paper, then goes out drinking, where he runs into Hayley. They end up sleeping together, and he never mentions that he's written the review until she discovers it in the paper the next day. She then changes her show to be about this experience, and before long, more women are also talking about the shitty ways Alex has treated them, and the show is a Fringe hit.

We learn about all this primarily through the perspective of his coworker, Sophie, with whom he shares a flat while they work the festival. I understand why we hear mostly from her — she is involved, but still removed. She feels the thrill of knowing more about the gossip than anybody else, and that's a commentary on us, the reader. She is also feeling removed from her own life, that she has been neck-deep in baby care and trying to work just as hard, all while her husband is like, "Oh, sorry I had an affair, but you were so distant!!"

Cool, I guess.

(Oh, but once she goes to work for three weeks in another city, he suddenly understands the error of his assumptions, blah blah... I'm over it. I do not care.)

But Sophie's too busy making excuses for both her husband and Alex's behavior, and any realization she might have is surface level at best. She likes being the one who "understands him" and likes being able to say "Oh, but we're all complicated, and turns out, I hate reviews anyway."

Everyone makes mistakes, and reading about other people's mistakes and picking them apart is something humans also enjoy, and this book does pose an interesting question: What, exactly, do you want to happen when we tear down people? People who have done awful (but not violent nor illegal) things? Everyone will have a different answer, and of course, it depends on the circumstances. I didn't have a problem with the resolution in this book. The ending made sense for these characters. It was just that these characters' own analyses of the situation they found themselves in rubbed me the wrong way. The conclusions they come to while still desperate to be cool, smart, loved, whatever — I caught myself literally scrunching my nose.

Was my dislike of most characters getting in the way of an otherwise fine book? Ehhh... Your mileage may vary, but whatever I wanted, I wasn't going to find it here.

I feel somehow implicated in wrongdoing by giving this book a star rating, lol. This novel's strongest point is its narrator Sophie, who is funny and self-deprecating and intelligent and unsure and overall real as hell. Seeing a scandal and its fallout through her eyes meant we got to consider questions about nuance, theater, the role of the critic, journalistic standards, the point of making art in general... And every so often Sophie is racked with grief over her recently deceased mother, guilt for leaving behind her young son, or annoyance at her husband's failures. It's all compulsively readable and catapults you through the four-week span of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival- finished in a couple hours without really meaning to. Thanks to NetGalley & Doubleday for the e-ARC.

This book was thought provoking and complex. I liked the feminist themes and also that this book was about artists. As an artist myself I really sympathized with the characters. I did think the book was going in the direction of Sophie falling in love with Alex, and felt frustrated. I was happy to see it did not end that way. This book's portrayal of misogyny in the arts was entertaining, relatable and powerful. A great read!

3.5 stars rounded up.

This book was a fun, albeit sometimes slow, journey through cancel culture.

We follow Sophie, a critic for a newspaper, as she covers the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with her coworker and notorious 1-star reviewer Alex Lyons. She struggles with what it means to be a journalist and whether she can or should be friends with Alex after he sleeps with a woman he just gave a 1-star review to without telling her that he wrote it. This kickstarts a chain of events where the woman rewrites her show to call out Alex's bad behavior and the man becomes a pariah.

I really enjoyed the debate about where criticism crosses the line and the aftermath of cancel culture. The author treats both of these points delicately, while simultaneously making her points abundantly clear. I did find that this book dragged a bit for me in the middle and I did not care very much about Sophie's home life and personal issues. While the book felt a little redundant at times, overall it was a solid story that I had a fun time reading.

Good books make their readers happy; great books make their readers uncomfortable.

After her premiere performance of "Climate Emergence-She," a one-woman show outlining the patriarchal underpinnings of climate change, Hayley Sinclair unknowingly goes home with Alex Lyons, a theater critic who has only just published a career-ending, one-star review of the production calling her “a dull, hectoring frump, like one of those 1950s cartoons of housewives beating their husbands with a rolling pin”.

When she finds out the next day, she is enraged enough to completely rework her original show into a tell-all of Lyons' misdeeds, adding more material each night as more and more women come forward to share their own disturbing experiences with him. The story itself is told from neither party but rather from the point of view of Alex's colleague and fellow journalist, Sophie, who must grapple with the onslaught of revelations about Alex while also being the sole audience to his unrepentant excuses. As the allegations worsen, she is asked to fill in for him as the newspaper's art critic and is forced to make her own decisions around what she owes to artists versus their prospective audiences.

Some have questioned the decision to make the protagonist an outside party but I think its a smart choice. Alex is practically a strawman of the MeToo movement—someone that most readers will find repulsive even if you layer in "his side" of the story and his apparent mommy issues. Hayley, for her part, is practically absent from the book and doesn't have enough page time for readers to form much of an opinion of her at all. This leaves Sophie who, despite having real depth, functions as a sort of proxy for the reader in a situation that is not at all straightforward. How do you react when your close friend is culpable of sordid behavior? Does that change if they are your colleague? And what if you happen to be living with them for a work assignment? Furthermore, what is the role of an art critic? What do they owe to the hardworking artists who have created the piece? And what do they owe to the trust of their audience?

The answer to any of these questions isn't obvious and its certainly not comfortable.

Maybe it's because I'm gen X- but the whole woke/cancel culture bull is just that to me, so while this one sounded like it might actually be ok, I went into it with a bit of a grudge against the concept. But having said that, it wasn't too bad, because SHOCKER- both sides view are equally shown- what happens to the one who gets comeupance by causing the cancellation, and then what that actually feels like to the cancelee, and how it affects THOSE AROUND THEM, because as well all know, nothing happens by itself-everything is a domino effect.The author did a great job in truly articulating the morass of modern culture and the traps laid within in. An interesting look at the Edinburgh Fringe festival is a positive side note! if you're looking for something a bit different, this is the book for you!

I loved reading the reviews that other readers had left. I admit I did not have the same "couldn't put it down" feeling that many of them wrote about. Alex did a bad thing and he had to pay. I have no pity towards him. He paid for it in the end. Hayley took a bad situation and used it as an opportunity to turn her performance around. Sonya was unnecessary and very bland as a narrator. The writing was dry and cumbersome. I pushed through it but not with great enthusiasm. I am going to round my 2/12 stars up to 3 stars because I don't want to bring the ratings down. It seems that I am in the minority. Please, read this book. I would love to see more reviews because I am seemingly very off base and trying to understand my reaction to it. Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for the complementary ARC. This review has not been coerced in any way and is my own opinion.

Alex Lyons seems to have it all going for him--handsome, charismatic, the son of theatre royalty. He earns his living as a theatre critic where he is known for giving either one-star or five-star reviews of plays. On the first night of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, he attends a one-woman play by American Hayley. He dashes off his one-star review before meeting her in a bar, and taking her home for the night. Hayley wakes from a night of sex to find the review on the kitchen table of the flat Alex has rented.

Sophie, art critic and Alex's colleague (and roommate for the duration of the Festival) watches it all unfold. As a woman, she is sympathetic to Hayley, who pivots and turns her show into a vendetta against Alex and men like him. Alex is suddenly the pariah and Sophie witnesses his bewilderment.

This novel reminds the reader that not everything is as black and white as it may appear. Sure, Alex is a dick but is he truly evil? He's never made a secret of who he is. Sophie who has known him for a long time is sympathetic (indeed attracted) to him as she navigates her own troubled relationship with her lover. I found this more cringey than funny but definitely intriguing. #BringtheHouseDown #NetGalley

Recommended: this was fun and funny, with thoughtful social commentary.



Review copy provided by publisher.

"Bring the House Down" follows Sophie Rigden during Edinburgh's Fringe Festival as she watches her colleague Alex Lyons—a ruthless theater critic—face consequences for his professional cruelty and philandering foibles. When performance artist Hayley Sinclair transforms Alex's scathing review into a viral takedown of his character, Sophie finds herself caught between supporting a colleague and managing her own responsibilities as a working mother.

This book examines what men and women owe to the world and what is owed to them, exploring themes of maternity, paternity, masculinity, and cancel culture, among others. The novel also questions the role of professional critique in a world saturated with online reviews.

Rather than focusing on either the critic or his accuser, Runcie deftly unfolds the story through Sophie's eyes—a choice that allows her to investigate a mother's role in the so-called sins of the son, without ever being heavy-handed. Every theme Runcie tackles is handled with nuance and subtlety.

Despite weighty themes, the novel succeeds because of its precise observations about working motherhood. Having just returned to work after having identical twin girls, I found Runcie's details devastatingly accurate—the guilt of missing her son, the unexpected liberation of having hours to herself, eating when she chooses rather than when a child demands it. She also captures the complexity of raising a son while society still grapples with what it means to be a good man, and the particular difficulty of mothering while feeling the absence of a mother figure.

Runcie's background as a journalist that covered the Fringe Festival is evident in the novel's convincing details and lived-in atmosphere. The audiobook narration brings Sophie's internal voice to life vividly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved, and was delightfully surprised, by BRING THE HOUSE DOWN by Charlotte Runcie. It's always been a dream of mine to attend the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, so this novel set at the festival was the next best thing. A really interesting take on critics and how critical response can affect artists and their work, this is also a timely and different take on cancel culture through the eyes of a female art critic whose hot shot male colleague has the spotlight directed on him and his bad behavior.

Alex, the bad boy in question, gives a scathing review of Hayley's play about climate change. In between writing the review, and it coming out in the national paper the next morning, they meet at a bar and sleep together. Alex does not tell Hayley that he knows who he is, and is about to ruin her career. Sophie, Alex's colleague and flatmate for the month, is watching this all go down like a slow motion car accident. The next night, Hayley changes the topic of her play from climate change to Alex himself. A genius move that brings her quick, viral fame and scores of other woman coming out of the woodwork to tell of Alex's bad behavior to them as well.

Sophie, our surprising narrator (I figured it would be Hayley or Alex to tell the story) is also a new mom, grappling with leaving her 1 year old for a long period of time back in London, and not totally trusting her baby's dad to stay faithful to her while she's gone. The book is a fierce look at misogyny, power, art, and critical reviews. As someone who writes reviews on the regular (on the smallest scale, of course), I found it both insightful and hilariously entertaining. Highly reccomend!

The premise of this book had me instantly intrigued! The story follows Alex Lyons, a theater critic who only operates in extremes: the shows he covers either tend to be five-star successes, or one-star flops, in his eyes. On the opening night of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, he doesn’t think twice about what he’ll rate Hayley Sinclair’s show…or about taking her home after a later encounter at a bar. When Hayley wakes up to discover that the man she’s just spent the night with has written a career-ruining review, she revamps her show to spotlight the way Alex has hurt her and other women in both his career and personal life. Yet Alex is clinging to a different version of events, and his work colleague Sophie soon finds herself conflicted, unsure which side of the story to believe…

BRING THE HOUSE DOWN is a sharp, well-written exploration of misogyny, the arts world, power, and the dynamic between critics and artists. I liked the choice to have Sophie narrate the book, since she’s closely tied to the other characters but is more of an outsider and observer. We also get to know her outside of the story’s central conflict—she’s grieving the loss of her mother, balancing work with motherhood, and also dealing with complications in her marriage. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the festival setting and what it’s like to work as a theater critic.

Overall, this was an entertaining read that had me quickly turning the pages to see what would happen next! I would recommend it for anyone who loves character-driven reads. The writing/vibes also strongly reminded me of Dolly Alderton’s books, so if you’re a fan of hers, I’d also suggest checking it out! Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and Doubleday Books | Doubleday for an early copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. This is the first book I have read by this author. I thought this was a different book and not sure if I would have bought this book if I saw it on the shelf. I thought parts of the book was interesting and other parts I was bored. I an not sure if I would recommend this book.

Simply put this is a rage fueled response by an actress named Hailey to the actions of a thoughtless and awful man, Alex. The plot moved fairly quickly and I thought the new angle on the MeToo movement was done well but the entire middle of the story had something of a repetitive nature to it. That part dragged on and I had to force myself push through. Then the end picked up so I left with story feeling positive, although I’m unsure if that was from the relief of being done or the poetic way it ended

The story is set in Edinburgh Scotland and even though the place wasn’t the main focus I did feel like I was there and appreciated feeling transported.

Thanks to Doubleday Books for the alc via Netgalley.

Read this if you’ve ever spiraled down a thread of internet callouts, wondered how much power a bad review really holds, or just love messy art scenes full of complicated people.

Bring the House Down by Charlotte Runcie is a thoughtful, layered read that sits right at the intersection of art, criticism, and public backlash. Told through the eyes of Sophie, a junior theatre critic navigating the chaos of the Edinburgh Fringe, it unpacks what happens when a bad review sparks an onstage takedown—of both her senior colleague Alex and, by extension, the entire institution of criticism and the male gender.

Sophie is a compelling narrator: uncertain, observant, and caught in the murky space between loyalty and self-preservation. Alex, her sharp but casually cruel colleague, writes a scathing one-star review and then immediately sleeps with the play’s creator. When she finds out, her next performance becomes a personal (and very public) reckoning. From there, things unravel in a way that feels both emotional and dramatic—the fallout is targeted and piercing.

The novel doesn’t rush. It meanders a bit, but the characters are fully realized, and Runcie has a clear handle on the emotional complexity of grief, guilt, and the strange intimacy of criticism. There’s a lot to chew on: What do we want from public takedowns? Can there be justice without cruelty? What happens when critique becomes performance?

It’s not a plot-heavy book, but it’s quietly provocative. A solid 4 stars for the way it lingers after the last page.

Thank you to Doubleday Books for sending an Advanced Reader Copy of Bring the House Down. The opportunity to read and review this book is appreciated.

4.25⭐️

This one felt very different for me, but I really enjoyed it. The story of a stage performer and a critic reviewing her show. The critic gives her a scathing review but before it is published, he picks her up at a bar and sleeps with her (“I cannot believe he did that!!”). The whole story is told through the perspective of the critic’s female co-worker as she witnessed the international fallout as the critic’s secrets are brought to light.

Runcie can write. That is for sure. Some BEAUTIFUL lines and a story that really makes you think about problematic behavior of others and ourselves. If you feel like you need a story of someone acting terrible but the terrible behavior is brought to the public and JUDGED… read this. It was a good time that still had some great emotional depth.

“How enormous a thing it must be to face the sum total of your flaws, and find that they were worse than you imagined, and obvious to everyone in the world except you.”

“I felt guilty. Of course I felt guilty. But also, but also. There was something else, too. My life had rippled into the lives of other people. I felt large and heavy and consequential.”

“There was no good or bad, not anymore. He was so alive, so full of fight. How could I have thought he didn’t care? How could I have mistaken his love for something weak, something already lost? It had never dimmed.”

“Does it matter what they say? Or does it only matter that you made the choices you were always going to make, and you were never, ever, going to have enough time?”

Charlotte Runcie is a new author for me. She has written a few other books, but this is her debut novel.

Description:
A theater critic at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe writes a vicious one-star review of a struggling actress he has a one-night stand with in this sharply funny, feminist tinderbox.

Alex Lyons always has his mind made up by the time the curtain comes down at a performance—the show either deserves a five-star rave or a one-star pan. Anything in between is meaningless. On the opening night of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, he doesn’t deliberate over the rating for Hayley Sinclair’s show, nor does he hesitate when the opportunity presents itself to have a one-night stand with the struggling actress.

Unaware that she’s gone home with the theater critic who’s just written a career-ending review of her, Hayley wakes up at his apartment to see his scathing one-star critique in print on the kitchen table, and she’s not sure which humiliation offends her the most. So she revamps her show into a viral sensation critiquing Alex Lyons himself—entitled son of a famous actress, serial philanderer, and by all accounts a terrible man. Yet Alex remains unapologetic. As his reputation goes up in flames, he insists on telling his unvarnished version of events to his colleague, Sophie. Through her eyes, we see that the deeper she gets pulled into his downfall, the more conflicted she becomes. After all, there are always two sides to every story.

A brilliant Trojan horse of a book about art, power, misogyny, and female rage, Bring the House Down is a searing, insightful, and often hilarious debut that captures the blurred line between reality and performance.

My Thoughts:
Alex Lyons comes across as arrogant and egotistical. He isn't being fair to the theater productions, giving only one star to most productions and five stars to a very few, nothing in between. He goes one step toof far with Hayley Sinclair though and her retaliation is epic. What happens after that is a ll out war and lots of surprises. I was amazed to find that this book was based on something that had actually happened to Runcie - a very vengeful retaliation to a bad review she had written. The book is disturbing and sad. It is well written and the plot moves at a good pace. It kept my attention throughout. An interesting story for sure.

Thanks to Doubleday Books through Netgalley for an advance copy.

Thank you NetGalley & Doubleday Books for sending me an ARC of this amazing book in exchange for an honest review. 💕

Bring the House Down is a witty feministic lit. fic. that had me audibly laughing, saying WTF, and yelling at my Kindle and the audiobook narrator in my car on a 7 hr. trip.

- Alex: we all know a man like Alex Lyons sadly, (maybe w/ even less character development if we are REALLY unlucky.)
- Haley: the woman we all inspire to be, the half glass full bad ass that is always late to the party but no one cares.
- Sophie: the wallflower, and the POV from who the story is told.

While this book is about "a theater critic" it is a beautiful metaphor for so much, and had me even rethinking my own rating scale of books at times. I would of made Alex mad giving it a 4, but it was a solid 4, close 5 in my book, & I as a woman think that matters, Haley would be proud. iykyk.

I found this book very thought-provoking. It takes place at a Fringe Festival, and all the critics are there. Alex is a very respected critic. He has been raised in a very privileged manner as his mother is a renowned actress. He reviews a one woman play by Hayley, giving her a single star. After submitting the review, he meets Hayley in a bar and takes her back to where he was staying, with Hayley completely unaware of who he is. As they wake up the next morning, Hayley learns who he is and what he has done. Furious, she takes off and plots her revenge. The next night, the show is changed and retitled “The Alex Lyons Experience”. The show now takes off and Alex’s career is pretty much in ruins. The story is told by Sophie, who is Alex’s co-worker and a lesser-known critic. She has returned from maternity leave and is staying in the same apartment as Alex. While Hayley’s career takes off and Alex’s plummets, Sophie still is loyal to him. While horrified by what he has done, she still is attracted to him but hasn’t acted on it yet. Many subjects come up in the book: misogyny, nepotism, privilege, cancel culture and more. It invites the reader to form their own thoughts on the subjects.

Also reviewed on B&N (1IrishEyes430) and Kobo (IrishEyes430)